An online liquor store makes it effortless and hassle-free to buy and order top-notch wine. With more wine options than ever in the liquor online NZ market, how do you choose the best bottle for your price range?

You see, picking good wine is an entirely subjective affair that depends primarily on your personal taste. Luckily, we’ve put together handy tips on how to choose and buy good wine from an online liquor store.

What to look for in the label?

Learning some basic details about wine can help you figure out which wine is likely to be a good fit for your palate. The label can really help you learn a lot here. Check for acidity, sweetness, body, tannin, and alcohol content of the wine.

These basic features define each wine varietal, and it helps to keep them in mind as you try to buy a bottle from an online liquor store.

• Acidity: If you’re after that rich and all-around taste, try wines with low acidity. High-acidity wines tend to be more tart and deliver that puckering sensation.
• Alcohol: Higher alcohol content can overwhelm otherwise notable flavours. Thankfully, most wines have alcohol content in the 11-13% ABV range.
• Body: Full body wines feel heavy in your mouth, while light body varietals are, well, light on your palate. The choice comes down to your personal preference, though.
• Sweetness: Wines are labelled as dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. If you love something that’s devoid of sweetness, go for a dry white wine.
• Tannin: A phenolic compound found aplenty in the skin of the grapes, the tannin gives that tart, dry, or bitter aftertaste.

White vs red wine – which is perfect for you?

Some people love red wine while others prefer white vino. These two differ in a number of ways:

• Red has higher tannin content than white wines
• Red wines have a heavier body than white counterparts
• White wines tend to be dry as they have less sugar
• Red wines usually have increased complexity
• Red wines typically have higher levels of alcohol, with some roaring at 20% ABV

They also have different flavour profiles which arise from the winemaking process.

Think about your other flavour preferences

Sure, wine has unique flavours, but what you consider a good wine can be influenced by your other taste preferences. What flavours do you love in food and other drinks? Here are a few examples to get you rolling.

• Grape juice – People who love grape juice are more likely to enjoy dry white wine
• Apple juice – If apple juice is your favorite drink, then sweet white wine will tickle your taste buds.
• Black coffee – Black coffee drinkers are typically conservative and will likely find a match in Old World wines, meaning those from France, Spain, Italy, or other originators of winemaking.
• Latte – If you prefer latte over black coffee, you’ll likely enjoy New World wines, meaning those from Australia, New Zealand, US, or South Africa.

Don’t agonize over the age of the wine

You can drink a 70-year-old wine, but if it’s a cheap, flavorless plonk, you’ll not enjoy the experience. Contrary to common belief, not all wines taste better with age. As such, don’t stress too much over its age. 

After all, many factors define a good wine that include:

• The quality of the grape
• The region
• Winemaking process
• The levels of acids, sugars and tannins it has.